Dave Benham - Flutes, mostly Native American or Native American style
Thillman Benham - Cello
Dan La Porta - Percussion and Native American style Flutes

Recorded over two jam sessions in July and November, 2013

Four Improvisations for Flute, Cello, and Percussion

Dave Benham - Flutes

Dawn Avery - Cello

Larry Mitchell - Guitar, Atmosphere, Sound Engineering

Recorded during a 1/2 hour Improvisation private lesson at the 2014 Patomac Flute Festival in Rockville, MD.

What an amazing experience!


Flute improv session with Dawn Avery (cello) & Larry Mitchell (guitar)

Dave Benham - Flutes
Dan LaPorta - Percussion

Recorded 2014-07-11 during a quick 1/2 hour jam at Dan's house. Everything we improvised during that short session was a keeper :-)

Four Improvisations for Flute and Percussion - Dan & Dave 2014-07-11

Dave Benham - Flutes
-    Suling bamboo flute from Indonesia
-    Mojave style rim blown flute in key of B by Roger Bennet
-    Double Native American Flute in keys of E and B by Guillermo Martinez
Thillman Benham - Cello
Dan La Porta - Frame Drum

A spontaneous improvisation recorded in our living room. None of us had any idea where this amazing piece would take us. I love the result, and find the ending haunting and quietly powerful.

A Journey: Medley of 3 flutes with Cello and Drum - 2013-07-21

Dave Benham - Magen Abot scale Native American style flute in F by Brad Young
Thillman Benham - Cello
Dan La Porta - Frame Drum

Another impromptu jam. The Magen Abot scale is a lot of fun to play around with. The flute is unusual for a Native American style in that it has a thumb hole and has a much wider range.

At one point you can hear the flute fail to play except for a breath sound: the flute "wetted out" and required clearing, one of the few draw backs to the Native American style flute.

Mid-Eastern jam with flute, cello, and frame drum  2013-07-21

Dave Benham - Native American Flute in D by Guiellermo Martinez
Dan La Porta - Bass Drum

Dan had his kick drum turned on end and played with soft head mallets.

This is the first time we actually rehearsed before recording. We had jammed a bit, moments before, and decided to record an improv around one of the themes.

This is also the first time we recorded in separate rooms in an attempt to get independent tracks. We couldn't see each other, but we were monitoring each other live through head phones.

Breezy Flute and Base Drum Improv in D Minor 2013-06-25

Dave Benham - Bass Native American style flute in A made of (PVC?) foam board by Jim Morehouse of Flutewood Flutes

Thillman Benham - Cello

Dan La Porta - Kick drum turned on end played with felt mallets

Marching to a Dance 2013-11-15 Dan, Dave & Thill

Dave Benham - Flutes
 - Bass Native American style polyurethane foam board flute in A by Jim Morehouse of Flutewood Flutes
 - Honduran Mahogany Native American Flute in low D by Guillermo Martinez of Quetzalcoatl Music

Thillman Benham - Cello

Dan La Porta - Flutes and Percussion
 - Low D Native American style flute with drone (I believe made by Brad Young)
 - Cajon + Kick Drum turned on end

Improvised Suite in D minor for Flute, Cello and Drums 2013-11-15 Dan, Dave & Thill

VCV patch available at https://community.vcvrack.com/t/dbrackmodules-releases/16147/4?u=davevenom, along with notes on how it was constructed.

VCV Rack docB Pad2 Drone Experiment

This is a minor modification to Chaircrusher's VCV patch at https://community.vcvrack.com/t/chaircrusher-music-thread/3760/357?u=davevenom.

My version can be found at https://community.vcvrack.com/t/chaircrusher-music-thread/3760/364?u=davevenom

Quick demo of a mod to Chairchrusher's VCV patch

Dave Benham - Native American flute in D minor by Guillermo Martinez

Dawn Avery - Cello

Larry Mitchell - Guitar, Atmosphere, Sound Engineering and Mixing


I believe this was our first full improvisation. Dawn and I had a nice groove, and then Larry momentarily threw me for a loop with the introduction of his guitar. It briefly dissolved into a somewhat ambient soundscape, until Dawn focused on one of my stylistic grace notes, and the piece suddenly crystallized into a new but related melody. I love the subtle interplay and beautiful melodies in this piece. This is the 2nd of two mixes that Larry provided. It is a bit more stripped down.

Recorded during a 1/2 hour Improvisation private lesson at the 2014 Patomac Flute Festival in Rockville, MD.

What an amazing experience!

Full Improv In Dm (mix 2): Flute improv session with Dawn Avery & Larry Mitchell

Dave Benham - Native American flute in D minor by Guillermo Martinez

Dawn Avery - Cello

Larry Mitchell - Sound engineering and mixing


This was the very first thing we recorded. It started as a quick sound check for Dawn to check out my style and the flute's tuning. It quickly transformed into this quiet song, and Larry began recording mid-stream.

Recorded during a 1/2 hour Improvisation private lesson at the 2014 Patomac Flute Festival in Rockville, MD.

What an amazing experience!

Simple melody In Dm (sound check): Flute improv session with Dawn Avery & Larry Mitchell

Dave Benham - Flutes
  -  Double Native American Flute in E/B minor (Teotihuacan) by Guillermo Martinez
  -  Walking stick flute in F# minor with in-line drone by Brad Young

Dawn Avery - Cello

Larry Mitchell - Guitar, Atmosphere, Sound Engineering and Mixing


We picked Guilleremo's double flute and I demonstrated the scale for Dawn and Larry. Larry then suggested a break in the middle using the F# drone. And then we simply launched head long into the improvisation.

Recorded during a 1/2 hour Improvisation private lesson at the 2014 Patomac Flute Festival in Rockville, MD.

What an amazing experience!

Double flute in Em/Bm With F# Drone Break: Improv session with Dawn Avery & Larry Mitchell

Dave Benham - Native American style flute with a Magen Avot tuning crafted by Brad Young. http://www.4windflutes.com/

Dan LaPorta - Percussion

Recorded during a quick 1/2 hour jam at Dan's house. This was the last of 4 improvs that evening.

Dan & Dave Flute and Percussion Improv D 2014-07-11

Dave Benham - Mojave Native American style flute in B crafted by Roger Bennet.  http://www.redbirdflutes.com/

Dan LaPorta - Percussion

Recorded during a quick 1/2 hour jam at Dan's house. This was the 3rd of 4 improvs that evening.

The Mojave style flute is just a tube with 4 finger holes and a shallow notch cut into the end where the sound is generated.

Dan & Dave Flute and Percussion Improv C 2014-07-11

Dave Benham - Loon head Native American flute in G crafted out of Honduran mahagony by Guillermo Martinez. http://www.quetzalcoatlmusic.org/

Dan LaPorta - Percussion

Recorded during a quick 1/2 hour jam at Dan's house. This was the 1st of 4 improvs that evening.

Guillermo carved a beautiful loon head into the end of this flute.

Dan & Dave Flute and Percussion Improv A 2014-07-11

Dave Benham - Native American style flute in high G# crafted out of holly by Brad Young. http://www.4windflutes.com/

Dan LaPorta - Percussion

Recorded during a quick 1/2 hour jam at Dan's house. This was the 2nd of 4 improvs that evening.

Dan & Dave Flute and Percussion Improv B 2014-07-11

Jon invited me over to his house to record some flute on one of his songs, and while we were at it, we jammed a bit with my A minor branch flute from Geri Littlejohn. This is the second of two - a bit more sedate. I really like the combination of Geri's gorgeous flute with the banjo.

Flute and Banjo Improv 2 with Jon Patton

Dave Benham - Native American style flute with two drones
Thillman Benham - Cello

Recorded at Rob's Open Mics on November 2, 2015
Teavolve Cafe & Lounge,  Baltimore, MD

Rob Hinkal - Host

A video of this performance is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndHXQ8e-xUI

This recording was extracted from Rob's temporary YouTube posting of his recording of the event.

Relaxing Triple Flute & Cello Improv: Teavolve Open Mic 2015-11-02

The opening song from our Featured Artist set at the Teavolve Open Mic on March 14, 2016. A video of the entire 5 song set is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOvdlGr4eY

Dave Benham - Native American Flute
Thillman Benham - Cello
Dan La Porta - Frame Drum

I don't know the name of the mode we are using, but it is something I discovered the first or second time I played with Dan, nearly four years ago. I love the mood it creates, and it goes perfect with his frame drums.

Modal Improv On A Dm NAF

Dave Benham - flute
Joey Jenkins - cajon

Recorded at Rob's Open Mics on May 16, 2016 at the Teavolve Cafe & Lounge in Baltimore, MD. 

Rob Hinkal - host http://www.ilyaimy.com/robsOpenMics/AboutOpenMics.html

I'm playing a walking stick Native American style flute with drone made by Brad Young. http://www.4windflutes.com/

The audio was extracted from Rob's temporary YouTube posting of his raw recording of the event.

A video of this performance is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrpUCz3k_gs

Having Fun With An Angry Flute

Recorded May 7, 2016 at Rob's Open Mics, Teavolve Cafe & Lounge, Baltimore, MD.

One of my favorite jam experiences of all time. I had just seen the other three musicians perform as part of the featured artist band "50 Man Machine", and loved the sounds they produced. Thank goodness they accepted my invitation to jam with me. I asked Kristen to lay down a groove in G minor, medium tempo... and we were off!

Dave Benham - Native American Flute
Kristen Jones - Steel Pans
Trevor Specht - Tenor Saxaphone
Mosno Al-Moseeki - Djembe

As always, a special thanks to Rob Hinkal, open mic host, and founding member of the band ilyAIMY (where Kristen normally plays cello!) Rob recorded and mixed down an HD video of the piece https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dizgscOoOv8&list=PLaL1NtKJqn1zFMzuGAVVQFkrScpsB2hHq&index=7, from which this mp3 was extracted. He also provided the photograph.

Improvised Jam - Native Flute, Steel Pans, Tenor Sax, Djembe

Dave Benham - Native American flute
John Velsor (Astronauto) - Guitar, Synth

Recorded at Rob's Open Mics on August 15, 2016
Teavolve Cafe & Lounge,  Baltimore, MD

Rob Hinkal - Host

Oooh - Delicious analog synth!
I heard Astronauto perform solo earlier in the evening, and was thrilled when John agreed to jam with me for my set.

This recording was extracted from Rob's temporary YouTube posting of his recording of the event.

A video of this performance is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTSUSHCJZNU

Rob's Open Mics 2016-08-15

Psychedelic Ambience - An Improv with Astronauto

Derrick Credito - Vocals, Guitar, Composer
Dave Benham - Native American style flute
Dave Godbey - Keyboard

Recorded and mixed by Dave Godbey during a gig rehearsal in Dave's basement.

"I Am Sadness" by Derrick Credito, with flute

An improvised ambient track recorded at the Songside Concerts Open Mic at Historic Jessops Church on July 7, 2018.

Dan plays his new 5 string bass and a Wavedrum through his massive custom pedal board with a looper.

I'm using my new VoiceLive 3 board that  I received just two days earlier. I barely know how to use it, but it sure is fun, and complements Dan's sound nicely. I start with a vocal drone, followed by three flutes:
- low A polyurethane foam flute by Jim Morehouse
- mid A walnut flute with drone by Guillermo Martinez
- low D Honduran mahogany flute by Guillermo Martinez

The recording is the raw room sound captured by a Zoom H1 recorder placed in the audience.

Songside Open Mic at Jessops Church

Drifting Spirits at Historic Jessops Church Open Mic

Dave Benham - Low E river cane Native American style flute by Ray Wood of Island Flutes
Dan La Porta - Low E black walnut Native American style flute by Geoffrey Ellis of Earth Tone Flutes

Recorded in Dan's living room on 2012-07-31 with an H1 Zoom recorder. Flutes miked through a Fishman Loudbox Artist acoustic amplifier set up with some reverb and delay.

These are the best of about an hours worth of music. All selections were spur of the moment improvisations with no rehearsal what so ever.

Were thinking of studying some of these and perhaps producing some quality recordings.

NAF Duet in low E - Improvisation - Dan & Dave 2012-07-31

Dave Benham - Low D Native American flute in Honduran mahogony by Guillermo Martinez
Dan La Porta - tuned Cooperman frame drums with attached shaker

Recorded in Dan's living room on 2012-07-31 with an H1 Zoom recorder. Flutes miked through a Fishman Loudbox Artist acoustic amplifier set up with some reverb and delay.

These are the best of about an hours worth of music. All selections were spur of the moment improvisations with no rehearsal what so ever.

Were thinking of studying some of these and perhaps producing some quality recordings.

Low D NAF and Frame Drums - Improvisation - Dan & Dave 2012-07-31

I'm playing my new contrabass Native American style flute in A alongside Jimmy Stewart with his beautiful fingerstyle guitar work. We are playing his song "La Fin" from his first album "Just Left Of Beautiful", transposed up two frets. 

This was performed on 2/18/2019 at Rob's Open Mics, Teavolve Cafe and Lounge, Baltimore, MD. The recording and mixdown is courtesy of Rob Hinkal - the host of the weekly event.

"Show More" for information about this unique flute.

Dave Benham - https://www.youtube.com/user/dfbenham, https://soundcloud.com/dave-benham
Jimmy Stewart - https://jimmyplaysguitar.com
Rob Hinkal - https://www.ilyaimy.com/

As far as I know, this is the lowest Native American style flute ever made. The fundamental note is an A2, five notes higher then the lowest C on a cello. It has all of the standard cross fingerings for a modern 6 hole Native American style flute, and it easily plays the the third in the 2nd register.

The flute has a quiet voice, so I strapped on a close miked cheap wireless directional condenser microphone to achieve a full sound.

The detachable flute head, made by Leonard "Lone Crow" McGann, is made of stained wood (pine?), and includes a 2" PVC coupler that I covered with black electrical tape. I acquired the prototype flute head from his wife Kitty at the Oct 2018 Leonard "Lone Crow" McGann Memorial Flute Fall-In Retreat in the foothills of the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. I don't have any other flute from Leonard, so I am honored and grateful that Kitty sold it to me. I hope Leonard is smiling from above seeing his prototype incorporated into a finished flute.

I constructed the body of the flute from 2" PVC, and made it self standing by setting it on a toilet flange. The functional body of the flute is ~49 inches, measured from the cutting edge to the top of the direction holes at the bottom. Add in 10 additional inches at the bottom to bring the bottom tone hole to a comfortable position, plus 8" at the top for the slow air chamber, and the flute stands 5' 7" tall!

I fashioned a bocal out of threaded 3/4" PVC elbows to bring the mouthpiece within reach. It just happened to screw on perfectly to the original side blown wooden mouthpiece that Leonard made.

The tone holes are ~3/8", with lots of undercutting to bring the flute in tune. I figured out the position of the finger holes by measuring the distances on a pair of bass flutes that I own, and computed the average length ratios. I offset the holes dramatically to fit my hand. The fingering patterns are standard, except I have to use a thumb and two fingers on each hand to cover the wide span. The largest span is 4.5 inches between the thumb and index finger of my bottom hand.

The whole flute disassembles into 4 sections for relatively easy transport.

I love the fact that I can use the same flute head for multiple flutes. I've already made a B flute, and am thinking of trying a C. I'd like a D, but am afraid the length to bore ratio will be too short with the 2" PVC. I also don't think I can go any lower. The length to bore ratio of the A is near perfect at 24.5 inches. I fear much higher and the low note will become brittle. But the real issue is the tone hole spacing would be too great for my hands to cover. I could perhaps adapt the bore to 3" PVC for a shorter flute, but then I'm not sure my fingers could cover the wider tone holes that would be required. So I'm thinking any lower would require a mechanical key mechanism with pads to cover the holes. That just simply feels wrong for a Native American style flute.

God bless you Leonard. Thanks for making this prototype flute head. I am really enjoying this creation.

I struggled for a while on what to call this flute. Family and friends were giving it all kinds of silly but fun names. But then I contemplated on the black paint job, the maker of the flute head, and the fact that the flute is so unique, and I realized that "Lone Crow" is perfect for this flute.

unreleased

My new Contrabass flute with Jimmy Stuart and his song "La Fin"

Dave Benham - Honduran mahogony Native American flute in low D minor by Guillermo Martinez

Dan La Porta -  3+ foot frame drum

I could play all day long to the sound of that huge drum. It has an incredibly rich, and subtly variant tone

Improvisation with Low D NAF and massive frame drum - Dan & Dave 2012-12-16

Dave Benham - F# Mojave style rim blown PVC flute by Roger Bennett

Dan La Porta - Cedar contrabass flute in F# by Stephen DeRuby


Mojave and Contrabass Improvisation in F# - Dan & Dave 2012-12-16

Exploring the moods and sounds of Native American and Native American style flutes. My favorite musical experiences are unrehearsed jams with other eclectic instruments.

Dave Benham

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